


Love and Pain

by JantoJones



Series: Torchwood [35]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-30 23:50:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6447115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JantoJones/pseuds/JantoJones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Ianto are taken captive by hostile aliens (Sorry about the rubbish title)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love and Pain

Opening his eyes, Jack Harkness tried to work out what he was looking at. After several seconds he realised it was a ceiling. It was one that he didn't recognise. Not that he spent a lot of time noticing ceilings. Fighting dizziness, Jack sat up and glanced around him. The room was entirely empty, apart from the unconscious figure in one corner. Even though he couldn't see his face, Jack knew from the suit that it was Ianto.

Sliding over to him, Jack gently rolled Ianto onto his back. He took a sharp breath upon seeing the large bruise which was forming on the left side of the Welshman's face. Jack checked for a pulse and was relieved to find it strong and steady.

"Ianto? Come on, wake up."

The younger man groggily opened his eyes and saw Jack looking down on him.

"Without wishing to sound clichéd," Ianto whispered, "where are we and what happened?"

Jack cast his mind back. The two of them had been investigating an alien signal at a disused factory. They'd come across a group of individuals who had taken exception to their presence. A fight had broken out and, judging by their current situation, Jack and Ianto had lost.

"Can you stand up?" asked Jack, unsure if he could himself.

He'd been knocked out in fights before, but this felt different. He was feeling that slight residual tingle he always got after going through a matter transporter.

"What's wrong Jack?"

Once they'd climbed to their feet, Jack put his hands on Ianto's shoulders.

"I don't want you to panic," he began, "but, there's a small chance we may have been teleported somewhere."

Ianto took the news with his usual stoicism. He calmly asked Jack if he thought they were still in Cardiff. Or still on Earth for that matter. Jack simply shrugged. He couldn't be one hundred per cent certain they'd gone anywhere; he was merely going on a hunch. Searching his body, Jack discovered he had no gun, no wrist strap and no means of communication. Ianto also found himself phoneless and without a weapon. Both men began to search the empty room. There were no windows and the bare grey walls seemed to possess no door. As they were both breathing normally, there had to be some sort of air flow, but there was no physical evidence.

Without warning, a part of the wall opened, revealing two humanoid figures pointing weapons of some sort. With their orangey skin and large red eyes, they clearly weren't human.

"Would now be an appropriate juncture at which to panic Sir?" murmured Ianto, in a deadpan tone.

"Very probably," replied Jack, raising his hands.

Ianto followed suit, and the two men duly complied when the aliens indicated for them to leave the room.

"Any idea of what species they are?" Ianto asked out of the corner of his mouth.

"Not a clue"

"Silence!" one of the guards yelled.

"They speak English," Ianto exclaimed in surprise.

"I said silence!" The guard repeated, slamming Ianto against the wall.

Instinctively, Jack reached out to help Ianto regain his balance, but was pulled back. Before he had chance to protest, Jack was dragged away from the younger man. He tried to push his guard away, but a gun to his temple made him think again. Jack was forced into another room which was almost as bare as the one he'd woken up in. The one difference was the metal shackles hanging from the ceiling. There was another guard in the room who ordered Jack to raise his hands and shackles were fastened tightly around his wrists. Memories of his time on the Valiant immediately surfaced. Jack forced the horrific memories back. He needed to keep a clear head, for Ianto.

"Where has Ianto been taken?" the Captain demanded.

His question earned him a punch to the stomach before the guards left. They didn't even bother closing the door.

***************************************************************

For half an hour, Jack tried to release himself from the chains but failed utterly.

"Jack?! How did you get here?"

Jack stared at the figure outside the doorway. He was instantly recognisable to Jack, with his long brown coat, pinstripe suit and baseball boots.

"Doctor?"

"I know you like to experiment Jack, but don't you need two people for that game?"

The Doctor's smile faded when Jack had no quick comeback.

"Get me out of here," Jack pleaded, "I have to find Ianto."

Pulling the sonic screwdriver from his pocket, the Doctor quickly released the Captain's hands. The Time Lord had many questions regarding Jack's presence on the ship, but they weren't that important. He didn't really know who Ianto was, but he'd heard Jack murmuring the name when he'd been repeatedly tortured to death. Whoever he was, the man was clearly very important to Jack.

"We'll search floor by floor Jack. We'll find him."

****************************************************************

"What were you doing at our base point?" asked one of the guards, for what felt to Ianto like the fiftieth time.

The Welshman was hanging limply by his wrists, his legs no longer having the strength to hold him up. His shoulders felt as though they were on fire. Ianto was fairly certain he'd dislocated the right one. His hands were numb from hanging and his ribs, stomach and back were extremely sore. Each time he refused to answer the question, he was punished. Once again he stayed silent and braced himself for the next blow. This time, a punch was landed against his injured shoulder.

*****************************************************************

Jack and the Doctor had searched one floor and were just arriving at the one above when they heard a blood chilling scream. They had no way of knowing it came from Ianto, but the odds were all for it. The pair hared off in the direction of the scream. They quickly found the room from which the scream had emanated, and peered around the door frame. The Doctor had to physically hold Jack back when he saw Ianto's condition.

"They're armed, Captain."

Both men were sickened as they witnessed two of the orange aliens punch Ianto in the stomach and kidneys. Despite being conscious, the Welshman barely registered the assault. One of the aggressors lifted Ianto's head by the hair.

"Again, what were you doing at our base point?"

Ianto didn't answer. Jack could see that he was in no state to give answers, even if he'd wanted to. Ianto's continued silence earned him a fist to the face. His eyes closed instantly as he lost his tenuous grip on consciousness.

"This one will be no good for a while," one of the aliens said, with slight irritation in his voice. "We'll try the other one."

The Doctor and Jack had seconds to find a hiding place and quickly dived around the corner. Silent prayers we answered as they watched the aliens walk the other way. As soon as the coast was clear, they entered Ianto's cell. Jack took the younger man's weight while the Doctor released his hands. They gently lowered him to the floor.

"His shoulder is dislocated," the Doctor quietly told Jack.

Working quickly, the Captain manipulated Ianto's shoulder back into place, wincing at the awful sound it made. The pain of it cut through Ianto's unconsciousness and he came round with a groan.

"Jack," he mumbled.

"Shhh," he whispered, "it's ok Yan, I'm here."

The Doctor watched with interest as the hardened adventurer-cum-conman he had known gently soothed the man at his feet. He was surprised by the way Jack softly stroked Ianto's hair, while whispering to him. He was telling him over and over that he was going to ok.

"Jack," Ianto repeated, giving no indication that he was aware of Jack being beside him.

The Doctor looked into the younger man's eyes and realised he wasn't really there. The injured man had seemingly retreated into his own mind.

"We've got to get him to the TARDIS before they realise you've gone."

The moment he said it, a piercing alarm sounded. Jack scooped Ianto up and cradled him to his chest. As they were leaving the room, Jack caught sight of their weapons and equipment on the table and indicated to the Doctor to pick them up. The Time Lord had never agreed with guns but picked everything up regardless. Stuffing it all in his capacious pockets, he sped out of the room with Jack following in his wake.

They made it to the TARDIS without interference and Jack carefully laid Ianto on the floor. The younger man was muttering incoherently. Jack kissed him delicately on the forehead.

"Don't worry Ianto. We're gonna help you."

"Let me," the Doctor said as he gently pulled Jack away.

He knelt down beside Ianto and placed his fingers on either side of the Welshman's face. Closing his eyes, he pushed his subconscious self into that of Ianto. What he found there was chilling, to say the least. The Doctor always saw people's minds as a series of doors. If the doors were closed, he didn't pry. People hid things away for a reason. Many of the doors in Ianto's mind were not only closed, but locked and barred. The Doctor didn't want to speculate as to what that could mean. Some of the locked doors had small windows in them. It was as though Ianto wanted something to be known but not released.

As per usual, curiosity defeated the Doctor and he took a peek through one of the windows. He saw the Welshman, down on one knee, presenting a ring to a beautiful, dark skinned woman. As he watched, the woman morphed into a half-converted Cyberman. The window in the next door showed a gruesome scene of butchered human body parts. The Doctor forced himself away from the disturbing scenes and made a mental note to ask Jack about them. He quickly walked past the other doors until he found one which was half open. Beyond the door, the Doctor found the subconscious form of Ianto. The young man was huddled into the corner with his arms wrapped around his knees.

"Ianto? "

Ianto's eyes shot up to look at the intruder.

"Jack?"

"I'm the Doctor."

Ianto looked at him with curiosity burning in his eyes. The skinny stranger was familiar to him. He'd seen him before.

"You were at Canary Wharf," he said, eventually. "You stopped the battle."

"Yes I did," the Doctor confirmed. "You worked for Torchwood in London?"

Ianto nodded sadly, and then his face was suddenly a mask of anger. He leapt to his feet and pushed the Doctor against the wall.

"You weren't quick enough," he spat. "Too many people died"

It was the Doctor's turn to nod sadly, as he tried to ignore the mechanised female screaming which had accompanied Ianto's accusation.

"You're right, and I'm sorry. I did what I could but it wasn't enough. I lost someone too."

"Why are you in here?"

"Jack is waiting for you," the Time Lord told him, "and he's worried."

"You're Jack's Doctor. The one he ran after. The one Torchwood was set up to protect Britain against."

Despite the fact the Doctor had officially been an enemy of Torchwood; Ianto found himself wanting to trust him. He knew Jack admired him and that was good enough for the Welshman.

"The thing is Ianto," the Doctor said as he put a hand to the other man's shoulder, "you're pretty badly injured. When you come back to reality, there'll be pain."

Ianto thought about it and finally made a decision. He could stand the physical pain in order to spare Jack the emotional pain.

"Jack's waiting?" he asked.

"Yes, and you probably know as well as I do, how bad he is at waiting. Patience has never been one of Captain Harkness' virtues."

The Doctor was heartened to see a brief smile cross Ianto's lips.

"I'm going to leave your head now. You need to come out yourself."

The Doctor opened his eyes and removed his hands. It was almost a full minute before Ianto's eyes snapped open. Pain wracked his body and he gasped at the onslaught. Jack immediately laid a hand on Ianto's chest to calm him. While the older man soothed his young lover, the Doctor moved to the console.

"I've traced the spot where you were teleported from," the Doctor announced finally, as he set the TARDIS in motion, "I'll take you there."

A phone he forgot he was carrying started ringing in the Doctor's pocket. After several seconds of fishing about, the device was located and he handed it to Jack. The display told him it was Owen so Jack pressed answer.

"It's about time. Where the fuck are you, Jack?"

"I don't know," replied the Captain, in all honesty, "hang on."

He asked the Doctor the same question, slightly more politely. The Time Lord swivelled the monitor around so Jack could see what was outside.

"We're inside the factory," he said into the phone. "Where are you? Ianto needs medical attention."

"I'm outside the factory," Owen told him, "I'll get my kit from the car."

Jack hung up and told the Doctor that Torchwood's medic was outside somewhere.

"I'll find him," the Doctor said, as he headed for the door.

"You're gonna bring him in here?"

"Ianto needs help," he replied simply.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, leaving Jack to comfort his injured friend. Although, he had come to realise that Ianto was more than a friend. He was, quite obviously, one of the few people the ever flirtatious captain had given his heart to. This young man must be someone quite special.

"How are you doing Yan?" Jack asked cautiously.

"Apart from being in complete agony, I feel embarrassed about lying on the floor. Help me up."

"No," replied Jack with a shake of the head, "Owen will kill me if I let you up."

Disregarding Jack completely, he started to get to his feet. Not wanting Ianto to hurt himself further, Jack took hold and helped him up. Ianto looked around the room with wonder. In the centre was some kind of control panel with a large column rising from the middle of it. The rest of the room looked like some sort of mad undersea theme. He hadn't the faintest idea where they were, but he felt safe here. Dizziness attacked Ianto without warning and, with extraordinary grace, he crumpled to the floor.

"What the fuck was he doing on his feet?" complained Owen as he stepped into the TARDIS.

He'd been warned by the Doctor that the inner dimensions didn't match the outer ones, so he didn't make comment. Besides, he had other priorities. While the medic worked on Ianto, the Doctor drew Jack to one side.

"I think you should be very worried about Ianto," he told the Captain quietly, "his subconscious is a very dark place."

He described what he'd seen to Jack about the barred doors and Cyberman. Jack waved his concerns away, explaining about how Ianto was very introverted and how he'd been working on getting him to open up more. He told him the young man had seen and endured more than a man of his age should.

"It still surprises me how sane he actually is."

"That would explain why there are windows in some of the doors," the Doctor interjected. "The severed body parts were somewhat disturbing."

Jack's expression hardened. "We had a run in with some cannibals. Ianto came off worst."

"Where does the Cyberman….er woman….er person, come in? Obviously it has something to do with Canary Wharf."

Jack told the Doctor about Lisa and how Ianto had done everything in his power to save her; betraying the team in the process.

"We had to kill her," Jack murmured softly, "I really don't know how Ianto ever forgave me. I'm not sure he truly did."

"You forgave him, though?"

"Yes. He was willing to risk everything for love. You know what I used to be Doctor. I've done far worse things in my life and you forgave me."

The Doctor threw his arms around Jack and hugged him tightly.

"When you two have quite finished," Owen cut in, "I'm ready to get Ianto back to the hub."

The Doctor suggested he could take Ianto and Owen in the TARDIS. Jack agreed, though he wasn't reluctant to let Ianto go anywhere without him. He had no choice however, as there was still a transmat to locate and destroy. He would also have to call Gwen and Tosh to come and pick up Owen's car and to warn them a blue police box would shortly be appearing in the hub.

***********************************************************************

Two hours later, Ianto was peacefully sleeping on the autopsy table. The Doctor had assisted Owen as he treated the Welshman's injuries and was now perusing the Torchwood computers. When Jack returned, he didn't say a word to anyone as he sprinted to Ianto's side.

"Stop fussing Harkness," Owen admonished, "he's pretty banged up, but he'll recover. After he's had a nice sleep, he can move somewhere more comfortable."

Jack kissed his lover's bruised forehead then made his way to his office, inviting the Doctor to join him. He took a whiskey bottle from the desk drawer and offered some to the Time Lord, who refused. Jack poured himself a very generous measure and downed it in one.

"Did you get the bad guys?" the Doctor asked the Captain.

"Destroyed the transmat, so hopefully won't see them again."

"He'll be ok, Jack," the Doctor told him softly, "he's dealt with much worse, and he has you to lean on."

Jack looked at the Doctor with mixture of fear and despair.

"I love him, Doctor," he confessed. "I don't know when it happened, or how he did it, but he got into my heart."

The Doctor smiled and patiently waited for Jack to continue.

"It scares me. One day I'll lose him, and he'll take my heart with him. I thought today was that day."

"You can't protect him all the time, Jack," the Time Lord told him gently. "He's a grown man in a dangerous job. The fact he stayed here after losing Lisa is testament to his strength. More importantly, he loves you too and he gives you grounding. You will lose him eventually and that's a curse you must bear. While he's here, just love him and let him love you. Ianto will break your heart one day, but I think you know it will be worth it."

**********************************************************

Ianto woke a short while later to find Jack standing at one side of him and the Doctor on the other.

"Welcome back, Cariad."

The younger man smiled at Jack's use of a Welsh term of endearment. The smile widened when the captain leaned in close and whispered his love into Ianto's ear. The Doctor placed his hand on the Welshman's shoulder and smiled.

"I have to be off now, but I just wanted to tell you again that I'm so sorry. I tried to save everyone but sometimes it just isn't possible."

Ianto couldn't bear the look of pain in the Doctor's eyes. He'd seen it many times in the eyes of the Captain and it told of all the unsaved lives. He put his hand on the Doctor's and gave him a forgiving smile. He couldn't blame the Time Lord for the people lost at Canary Wharf. If he hadn't been there, it would have been a lot more.

"Thank you for the rescue, Doctor. Not just this one."

Ianto's energy reserves left him and he drifted back to sleep. Jack walked the Doctor to the TARDIS and gave him a bone crushing hug.

"Hang on to him, Jack. You need each other."

The Captain watched as the TARDIS dematerialised before heading back to sit with the man who'd stolen his soul.


End file.
